dangermouse
Well-known member
So today I finally managed to drag myself out for a session on the Don. I had intended to go yesterday but with the weather looking very dodgy at 10am I made alternate arrangements, only to see the day transform itself into one filled with glorious sunshine. 
I had wanted to fish the Kilnhurst section, specifically the weirpool, but the prospect of a 90 minute walk that might well end with me finding someone already fishing that peg made me rethink my options and I settled on the much shorter trip to a peg in Mexborough I`d fished a couple of times last year.
I arrived and set up a float rod with the intention of fishing the slack water on the inside of the bend. Around 90 minutes later and having tried various combinations of maggot and caster, all to no result, I decided it was time for a change and so the float rod was put aside and the quivertip was dragged from the holdall. A few minutes later and I was ready to go with a nice simple set up, blockend feeder filled with mashed bread and a big lump of flake on a size 6 hook.
Casting out towards an overhanging tree that looked very "chubby" I was encouraged when the tip registered a few taps. Unfortunately after about 90 minutes none of them had developed into anything like a positive bite. I considered continuing with this approach but in truth I was unsure whether the very stale bread I was using was staying on the hook. So I thought I`d try the same spot but have a change of bait. I changed to a smaller feeder loaded with maggots and put a nice big spicy king prawn on the hook.
Again there were a few plucks and taps but nothing that seemed worth striking at. I persevered with this approach until about an hour after dusk hoping for either a chub or perhaps a large perch to take the bait but all to no avail, this first session was destined to end as a blank.
On the brightside it was an enjoyable afternoon and it was nice to be out on the bankside again having not fished since November. I did have the pleasure of seeing a couple of herons fly over and what I presume was some type of owl gave me quite a shock as it swooped over the river once darkness had fallen.
So they say you should learn something from every trip. I`ve learned a couple of things.
One; I should probably use slightly fresher bread for legering.
Two; When you wear steel toe-cap boots on a cool day, put on 3 pairs of socks, not two.
I had wanted to fish the Kilnhurst section, specifically the weirpool, but the prospect of a 90 minute walk that might well end with me finding someone already fishing that peg made me rethink my options and I settled on the much shorter trip to a peg in Mexborough I`d fished a couple of times last year.
I arrived and set up a float rod with the intention of fishing the slack water on the inside of the bend. Around 90 minutes later and having tried various combinations of maggot and caster, all to no result, I decided it was time for a change and so the float rod was put aside and the quivertip was dragged from the holdall. A few minutes later and I was ready to go with a nice simple set up, blockend feeder filled with mashed bread and a big lump of flake on a size 6 hook.
Casting out towards an overhanging tree that looked very "chubby" I was encouraged when the tip registered a few taps. Unfortunately after about 90 minutes none of them had developed into anything like a positive bite. I considered continuing with this approach but in truth I was unsure whether the very stale bread I was using was staying on the hook. So I thought I`d try the same spot but have a change of bait. I changed to a smaller feeder loaded with maggots and put a nice big spicy king prawn on the hook.
Again there were a few plucks and taps but nothing that seemed worth striking at. I persevered with this approach until about an hour after dusk hoping for either a chub or perhaps a large perch to take the bait but all to no avail, this first session was destined to end as a blank.
On the brightside it was an enjoyable afternoon and it was nice to be out on the bankside again having not fished since November. I did have the pleasure of seeing a couple of herons fly over and what I presume was some type of owl gave me quite a shock as it swooped over the river once darkness had fallen.
So they say you should learn something from every trip. I`ve learned a couple of things.
One; I should probably use slightly fresher bread for legering.
Two; When you wear steel toe-cap boots on a cool day, put on 3 pairs of socks, not two.